Ron Artest wasn’t just sent home because he had the lowest scores on the premiere of Dancing With the Stars Season 13. Or because he changed his name to Metta World Peace — confusing even Tom Bergeron on what to call him. It was a deadly three punch — the lowest scores of the night, the first dance of the night (usually forgotten by the end of the show) and a combined lack of public interest in the couple.
Some couples get a free pass thanks to the pro more than the so-called celeb. (See Val Chmerkovskiy, who used the huge Chmerkovskiy fan base to help Elisabetta Canalis, who does not seem to have a big U.S. following of her own.)
Peta Murgatroyd is one of the new pros bumped up from the troupe introduced last season and she hasn’t established her own following yet. Pairing her with a quirky guy like Metta — who didn’t help his own case by dressing like a pimp for an out-there Cha-Cha-cha — was a death knell. People should know by now, this show does not reward creepy Cha-Chas, especially on the premiere. (See David Hasselhoff’s “Sex Bomb” Cha-Cha, which sent him home the first week of Season 11. And The Hoff got a score of 15, one point higher than Metta’s 14.)
As for fans who expected Chaz Bono to be in the bottom three: Controversial people never go first, especially when that person — Kate Gosselin on Season 10, Bristol Palin on Season 11, Chaz this season — has been attacked enough that the other side is more motivated than ever to vote. Complacency kills, not controversy. (Also, Chaz wasn’t that bad on the dance floor.)
At least Ron/Metta had a happy exit, seeming to cheer when his name was called to go home, then shouting “Who’s coming with me?” (No one volunteered.) He repeatedly praising partner Peta — kicked out right after her debut — as “great” and launched a round of applause in her honor. He thanked Peta, the show and everyone else. “I had a great time. Awesome.”
So, why did Ron think he was sent home? The wacky Laker told On the Red Carpet all the things he did wrong in his Cha-Cha-Cha — from his claw-like hands to his misangled feet.
For Peta, a highlight was hearing Ron's story about his daughter, Diamond, who battled cancer at age 4. He said he would give his DWTS profits to cancer research in her honor. (Even being voted out first, he should still take home at least $200,000.)
Asked to rate his dancing on a scale of 1 to 10, Ron said his entertainment was cool but he wished he danced more than just entertained. Now he’s just excited to come back on the Season 13 finale and entertain people again.
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